Outside of Time - Part IIII
Outside of Time - Part IIII 7 hours and counting until they arrived at the destination. As Mapp paced the ship corridors waiting for P-90 to wake, he had time to think. Most of the crew had gathered once again in the bar, anxious for both P-90 and the trip so close to Necronomica. He couldn’t stand the atmosphere any more. He’d taken to stalking the corridors. Eventually, he found himself sitting on P-90’s bed. The captain has no boundaries on his ship. In his hands he studied P-90’s journal, trying to glean anything useful from the careful script, in some places blotchy. From tears or drool he couldn’t tell. ''‘Journal Entry 97 – Earth Orbit 2008 – Cantina Time 00:04. I have long neglected this journal, but I have been compelled to write again after the recent events regarding Gallifrey. We have become virtual celebrities in the universe, after our crusade against the chosen. And yet, I would give it all up to save the one crewmember that died in the process. Susie is dead. I don’t understand how things continue any more. Mapp told me, when we were alone, that she’d left him with a message. “Ill be back.” But when Susie? And why to Mapp? Why couldn’t you have told me yourself? Were you afraid I would refuse to let you leave? I suppose I would have tried. I once asked Mapp if we couldn’t go back in time and save her. I knew the answer but I had to try, and Mapp made the right choice. It would create a paradox and destroy everything Susie sought to save. So I am left empty, I know he doesn’t like seeing me like this, none of the crew do. These days im told im a snappy asshole; I don’t blame them, but I feel sudden fury as I think of her, why did she have to be taken? Why couldn’t she have just surrendered to the inevitable? But no. That wouldn’t be my Susie. In my dreams I am tormented by the memory of her, running into the distance, to her death. And if I chase, the distance only ever seems to grow. Im haunted by the accusations of the crew. Unsaid accusations in waking life. This place holds so many memories of her, im struggling to keep my emotions in check. The bar is the main culprit. How she loved to keep her bar spotless, how she loved to laugh and chat with customers. Now it is silent and depressing-’ '' Mapp stopped reading; it was mainly the ranting of a broken man. Accusations? No one blamed P-90 for what Susie did, she slipped out of his grasp and did what she thought she needed to do. Mapp carefully closed the journal and laid it on the bed as footsteps pounded at a run down the corridor, CJ skidded, panting, into the room. “There you are!” Mapp looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. “What?” CJ leaned in and grabbed the metal doorframe, Mapp realised she was sweating and red faced now. How long had she been looking for him? “Ive been looking for you everywhere, we got a problem!” Mapp snorted and stood up, walking towards CJ. “We’ve had a lot of problems, what’s this one?” CJ’s panting slowed down a bit as she breathed deeply and pushed away from the door, allowing Mapp to exit. “A big fucking problem.” That got Mapps attention, CJ hardly ever swore. “Is it P-90?” CJ shook her head and backed into the corridor as Mapp strode out of the room. “No, He’s fine. Its our…guests.” Of all the things Mapp had been dreading that was not it. “What about them?” CJ began babbling hysterically, trying to get her information through to Mapp as fast as she could. Mapp caught snatches of the explanation but it wasn’t enough, beginning to feel a headache coming on Mapp swore. “Shit CJ. Talk slower.” CJ gave Mapp a reproachful look and started again. “P-90 told me about the malfunctions, so I decided to poke around a bit.” Mapp nodded and motioned for her to continue. CJ took another breath. “Well I got to thinking about when P-90 was fixing the engine, I took a look at the security cameras. Whole hours of time had been deleted Mapp! Someone screwed with the archives!” Mapp held up a hand and CJ paused in her story. “Ceej, people come and go in that thing all the time.” CJ tried to speak again but Mapp interrupted her. “If you’re going to accuse someone at least have undeniable proof-” At this CJ jumped back in again. “I DO have proof!” She began digging in her jacket and pulled out a small disk. “Someone did a good job on the security cameras, but I did manage to get this. It’s only a few seconds but its all you need!” Mapp raised an eyebrow and opened P-90’s room, Taking the disk and using his computer to look at the contents. CJ stood behind him as Mapp studied the picture, less than a thousandth of a second, but they’d missed it, and through determination CJ had found it. On the screen were a few seconds of video of Aife destroying the engines. “Are you sure this is real?” CJ nodded and Mapp ejected the disk, suddenly angry. They’d tried to hurt his ship…but why? “What access did they use?” CJ shifted and muttered barely audibly. “They stole Susie’s crew card…. reactivated it. That was the signature for the deletion points.” Mapp stormed up the corridor, his crew could look after themselves, but no…they attacked his ship. His precious TARDIS. He shouldered the door to the bar open loudly, with CJ barely keeping up behind him. Sweeping over the room as he walked he couldn’t see any sign of his guests. Good. It was the hard way. Without breaking stride he walked over to the bar and leapt onto the polished wood. Immediately heads turned to look at him, the crew were all here. “Right, you all know something’s been screwing with our ship. Our home. Our guests aren’t telling us something and that makes me suspicious. What they’ve done to our ship hasn’t only slowed us down. They hurt P-90 doing it. They’ve overstayed their welcome. Split into teams, full riot gear and find these sons of bitches, I want some fucking answers.” He watched as chairs scraped and people divided up drawing weapons and exiting the bar. He hopped down, noticing CJ had not joined the teams. “Go and watch over P-90.” CJ gave Mapp a pitying look but left, leaving the bar empty but humid in Mapps anger. Slowly he moved behind the bar and pulled out a lethal looking crossbow, taking his time to slot in a round. He didn’t move as the lights dimmed and died with the engines. The bar was plunged into darkness, the light of an occasional star through the large windows provided light enough for Mapp to skirt around tables and obstacles. The corridor outside of the bar was, perhaps, even darker. It didn’t matter, Mapp moved carefully through it, listening for the slightest sound of gunfire. They couldn’t possibly know this ship as well as he, which would be their downfall. The siege of his ship would not end well for these people.